Rose
by temari13
Summary: Temari has made two mistakes. One more, and she is out. WARNING: character death. No cursing in the reviews, please. Complete!
1. A Rose Forgotten

Temari kept her head down as she walked through the sandy streets of Suna. Her eyes remained glued to the ground, yet she was still aware of the cold glances being thrown her way. She fought back tears. She would not allow herself to cry in front of them.

She kept walking and didn't stop until she was out of the confines of the village. She dropped to her knees and stared into space.

Temari swiped angrily at a tear that slipped down her cheek. She hated to cry. It made her look weak.

She laughed, a harsh sound. She was weak. That was why she was in this predicament.

It had started four years ago, when she was nineteen. Since she was the liason, she traveled back and forth between Suna and Konoha. During her time in the latter village, she had grown close to Shikamaru, the lazy Nara she had fought in the final round of that fateful Chunin exam.

No, she was more than close to him. She loved him, and he loved her. He often called her his rose. When asked why, he replied that although she was beautiful, she was dangerous. Just like a rose is beautiful, yet if you're not careful, you'll get pricked by the thorns.

Temari cursed. She should have known better than to become involved with a foreign ninja. She should have known that there wouldn't always be peace between their villages. She should have known that someday they would become enemies.

She had known, but she had chosen to ignore those facts. And now she was paying for that mistake. Her first mistake.

Two years ago, relations grew strained between Suna and Konoha. The tension had been so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Tsunade and Gaara tried to patch the treaty up. It worked, too, until a Leaf ninja killed a Sand ninja.

War broke out.

Temari hated war. She hated the death, the destruction. There had been too much of it in her life. Yet she was thrust into it unwillingly. She dutifully obeyed what Gaara told her to do. But then she failed that mission.

There had been reports of a Leaf ninja sneaking around the village. Gaara sent her to apprehend the spy and kill him.

Temari would have been able to finish the mission if her opponent had not been Shikamaru. She had frozen, unable to move, but not because he had used his jutsu on her. She couldn't kill him.

They had stared at each other for a few seconds before their emotions took control.

She should have known better than to disobey Gaara. She should have known better than to kiss the enemy. She should have known that she was playing with fire.

She had known, but she had chosen to ignore those facts. And now she was paying for that mistake. Her second mistake.

They had been discovered by Kankuro. Temari will never forget the look on her brother's face when she stopped him from attacking Shikamaru.

Now she was considered a traitor, a disgrace. She was not allowed on any missions, even if there were other people going. No one trusted her, not even Gaara and Kankuro. Her own brothers had turned against her. But then again, she had turned against them first, hadn't she?

She had nothing left to live for. She had no one left to live for.

Temari pulled out a kunai and stared at her reflection. She knew that she had one chance left. She had two strikes against her. One more, and she was out.

She would save them the trouble. She positioned the kunai at her wrist. She hesitated, then made a deep cut. As blood poured out from her wound, she felt herself growing weaker and weaker.

Finally, she slumped over.

Dead.

Inside the village, no one seemed to notice that Temari was gone. No one seemed to care when Gaara found her suicide note on her bed. No one went searching for her body to give it a proper burial.

She lay outside the city, the sand blowing and covering her body.

She was a rose forgotten.


	2. A Rose Remembered

Shikamaru walked slowly down the path through the woods. He was the only one who traveled this path. No one else wanted to. No one else had a reason to.

In his right hand he clutched a blood red rose. He didn't notice that a thorn cut into his thumb, causing precious drops of blood to fall.

He finally arrived at his destination, a quiet grove of trees two miles away from his house. He knelt on the ground and placed the rose on the raised earth in front of him. A sob caught in his throat as he traced the name carved on a crude, wooden cross.

Temari.

She had been dead for one month, yet the pain in his heart had not disappeared. He doubted it ever would. He missed her. He wished that she were there to tease him and call him Crybaby. Even if it were just one more time, he would be satisfied.

But she was dead. The love of his life was gone forever.

Forever. Shikamaru hated that word. It sounded so final. It was final.

Never again would he feel her lips brush against his. Never again would he hold her tightly. Never again would he hear her whisper his name in the dark. Never again would he see her smile, the smile she saved just for him. Never again would he touch her hair, her face, her skin...

Shikamaru could still remember the day he had found her. She had been half buried in the sand, a kunai clenched tightly in her left hand. He'd been horrified, to say the least. He'd desperately tried to revive her, but she had already been dead for at least two hours. Needless to say, he'd gathered her lifeless body in his arms and cried for a good ten minutes. He'd nearly forgotten the reason for making the journey to Sand.

Once Shikamaru had gotten an audience with Gaara, he'd explained that it had not been a Leaf ninja that killed the Sand ninja. It had been, in fact, a Sound ninja trying to start a war. Unfortunately, he had succeeded.

Shikamaru had also told the Kazekage that his sister was dead, to which Gaara coolly stated that he knew. The shadow master's mouth had dropped open, unable to believe that he could care less about Temari's death.

The redhead gave Shikamaru permission to take her body to Konoha and bury her there. As soon as he was able, Shikamaru left, carrying his love. With each step he took, the ache in his chest grew.

Tsunade had agreed to Shikamaru's request to bury Temari in Leaf. No one was there except for him. He'd carefully cleaned her up and dressed her in a new outfit. With each shovel full of dirt he tossed onto her coffin, a tear escaped.

Although life went on, he felt as though it had passed him by. Every day he woke up, another piece of his heart broke. Every day, he regretted that he had not left for Suna earlier. He couldn't help but think that he could have saved her life.

Shikamaru allowed a tear to drip onto the grave. It did no good to wish that he could change the past. He had learned that from when Asuma died. But he'd never imagined he would again lose someone close to him, especially this soon.

It began to rain.

He pushed himself to his feet. He knew that his parents and team would worry about him if he stayed outside in the rain.

Shikamaru smiled ruefully. They didn't understand him. The only two people who had ever understood him were now dead.

After he'd buried Temari, Ino had asked him on a date. When he refused, she began ranting and raving that he should just forget about "the Sand kunoichi." He'd snapped back, saying that it was impossible to forget someone you loved.

Shikamaru glanced back over his shoulder. There was no way he could ever forget her. Even though others had, she would always remain in his memories.

She was a rose remembered.

A/N: Suicide is not the answer. No matter what you may be going through, there is always someone who will miss you. Please, if you think about committing suicide, ask someone for help.


End file.
